1. pluviophile — lover of rain and rainy days
As the storm subsided into a steady shower, Daniel looked out into the comforting grey sky and he realized how much he had missed rainy days, realized that he had always been a pluviophile, perhaps since he used to visit his grandfather in the little county house with the tin roof that rattled with excitement every time a storm rolled over the decrepit shack.
2. tantivy — (archaic) at full gallop, headlong; a rapid gallop; hunting cry whilst riding at full gallop
And so the men in their fine red coats rode tantivy over the fields and gardens and laws of the lower sorts, leaving hunger and disorder in the wake of their finely attired hunting party.
3. calcimine — whitewash
His clothes stained with paint and calcimine, his hands reeking of turpentine, Mr. Popper cut a sorry figure among the church ladies he found himself closeted with.
4. attap — mangrove palm used in the construction of homes and buildings in villages throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.; thatch roof made of such material
Lying insensible against a hard bolster along the edge of the veranda under its attap roof, the injured soldier breathed raggedly and at times seemed to stop altogether, after which he would emit a keening sough which spoke of the hardships he had endured during the terrible attack.
5. raw-boned — gaunt, overly lean, having a bony physique
He looked dapper enough in his three-piece suit and fedora, a cane held loosely in his left hand, but having seen him at physical therapy that morning, raw-boned and struggling to exercise his palsied legs, I knew the supreme effort his display of nonchalance must be costing him.
6. athwart — across from side to side, transversely; (nautical) from side to side of a ship; across the course of
My good intentions were flummoxed by the worries and bad thoughts which continually threw themselves athwart my mind, distracting my focus and best efforts with atrabilious fear and guilt.
7. fuller’s earth — absorbent clay (traditionally a hydrous aluminum silicate) used for removing stains or cleaning oil from cloth or skin, along with many other uses
After an attack the clothing worn should be liberally treated with fuller’s earth to decontaminate them of any remaining chemical agent.
8. quintain — post, or object on moving crossbar mounted on such a post, used for target practice in jousting or darts
No matter how practiced he became tilting against the quintain, the young Sir Rivers always faltered when jousting with a live opponent.
9. pigsney (also pigsny) — darling, pet (as term of affection); eye
“Oh, please do, pigsney, say you will come, if you aren’t there I shall be devastated, utterly.”
10. gob — lump, mass of a slimy substance; (pl.) a large amount
Sure, he has gobs of money, but I cannot stand to be in his vulgar presence more than a moment before I want to retch because of his gaucherie and rudeness.
Bonus Vocabulary
(British slang, 19th c.)
dollymop — part-time prostitute
She dreamed that one day one of her men would be more than smitten, would want to make her his lady, and she’d need never play the dollymop no more, but in the morning she would feel the cold air and the ebbing youth of her body, and she knew it was only a dream, a common one at that.